The Other Kingdom
by Trainguy1601
Summary: Princess Twilight is looking for new books for her castle, when news of an unknown vessel is approaching Manehattan Harbor. When its top hatch opens, lots of ponies are seen exiting the bowels of the ship. Strangely, the ones that actually own it are bipedal apes, the leader of which Celestia knows all too well and vice versa. So what's going on? Find out in The Other Kingdom.
1. Chapter 1

MLP FiM:_** Kingdom on the Other Side…**_

Twilight was up in her (new) castle's library. Every other hour, she always hoped more and more books could fill the shelves. But it would take time and sadly, many of the books that were destroyed were irreplaceable. 'Stupid Tirek,' she thought to herself. 'Did he really have to destroy it?' On the plus side, she still had her friends and Equestria was kept safe from a magic-stealing enemy.

There was a knock on the door. She opened the door with her magic and all anyone could see was a stack of books with a pair of stubby legs under it. "I got some more books for ya, Twi." Spike, Twilight's dragon assistant, said. Then the books suddenly floated in a purple aura. They all flew above Twilight's head as she sorted them out. "Thanks Spike." The lavender pony said. "So did Princess Celestia send me anything?"

Spike suddenly froze. "Actually….funny thing you should mention her."

"Spike?"

"Well, ya see." Then a bright flash appeared and Celestia showed up.

The princess's mane was ruffled and her eyes were a bit bloodshot. Her nose kept flaring open and closed as she breathed. Her regalia needed a lot of polishing and her muscles looked tense. To sum up, she looked like she was pissed…

_Royally pissed_, one could say. (dun-dun-tsschh)

Twilight instinctively cowered in fear. She looked up and stuttered. "P-p-princess?" The princess trotted dramatically to her former student followed by a unceremonious plopping down with her head landing on said pillow. The princess turned her head to look at Twilight. She smiled a little. "Hello, Twilight."

"Princess? Is everything okay?"

"I'm afraid not. Tirek's rampage caused a lot of political squabble." There is a knocking on the castle's balcony that rudely interrupts them. Celestia looks at the door with a lethal glare. Then she turns back. "Excuse me." She gets up and trots to the mail pegasus. "Is there something I can help you with?" The pegasus bows instantly. "Telegram for you, your Highness." He flies off before Celestia can say anything else. Celestia reads the message and her face grows shocked. "This can't be…" She sits down and rereads the message.

The message read:

RES Celestia sunk. STOP

1,100 souls on board. STOP

600 in lifeboats. STOP

Approx. 400 missing. STOP

Celestia's tears start to water. "Is there anything I can do to help?" Twilight asked.

"Yes…Can you have Spike bring us some tea?" Then, as if Spike already knew the routine by now, brings in a tray with tea cups and a kettle. He sets it in front of the two princesses and bows respectfully. Twilight couldn't help but giggle. "Sometimes, Spike, I wonder what I'd do without you."

Then as Spike tried to leave the alicorns alone, he felt something surge from his stomach. He clutched his belly until it reached his mouth. When his mouth couldn't hold it in a green ball of fire came out, along with a scroll. Spike grabbed it before it dropped to the ground. It was rolled up and had a seal that had a crescent moon on it. He turned back to the alicorns with the message in his claw. "It's a message from princess Luna!" He exclaimed.

The scroll was surrounded by a golden aura and was pulled towards Celestia. She opened it and it read…

_"Dear Sister, _

_ We require that thou bring thyself into the City of Manehattan. There's not a moment to lose." _

Celestia couldn't believe it. First Tirek, then news of a catastrophic shipwreck, now THIS? Twilight asked, "What is it? What's going on?" Celestia turned to her former student. "I'm needed in Manehattan at once." She takes to the balcony and flaps her wings. She flaps and flaps until…FLASH! She disappears. Twilight grabs Spike with a wing and sets off for Manehattan…

**Manehattan Harbor **

It's a well known fact that Manehattan is the most populated city in all of Equestria. Naturally, it required a good harbor to bring in shipping from all over the world. All sorts of sea-going boats came in, from great steam-powered ocean liners to private yachts to merchant ships to naval vessels.

An Equestrian frigate, _R.E.S. _(Royal Equestrian Ship_) Fillydelphia, _was a mile or two off shore on its standard patrol. The ship itself was impressive. She was over 400 ft long, had a 58 ft beam, propelled by both sail and steam, and made out of wood with 4.5" of iron plating for armor. It also had cannons…lot's of them…40 of them to be exact. The shells for them weighed between 40-100 lbs, depending on the caliber of the round. It required over 550 sailors to keep the ship running. Either way one looked at it, the ship was a massive armed fortress. No pony would dare approach it.

The captain of this ship was Sea Worthy…a grayish stallion with a dark mane that was starting to gray out. He was at the stern of the ship looking over the starboard side, observing the ocean. The seas were calm, the skies were free of clouds, and the winds were still. Standing out here was the captain's way of relieving stress.

Several hours earlier, a merchant freighter, the _G.K.S._ (Griffon Kingdom Ship) _Arnea_, appeared in the harbor, carrying hundreds of ponies with blankets. Seeing their sullen expressions put many a chill in their spines. Once it was in port, the news of the sinking spread like wildfire with gasoline poured on it during heavy winds. Newspaper companies were rolling out their special editions like mad, and their reporters were gathering information from the survivors to make sure the stories were accurate.

The official story was that the ship was traveling through foggy weather at around 11 pm which even with a weather team's worth of pegasi on board, could not clear it. They DID slow the ship down but no one could see or hear the iceberg in front of them. By the time the lookouts saw the mass of frozen water, it was too late. It made a 300-400 ft gash into the port side of the ship. The ship gained a noticeable list when the captain gave out the order to abandon ship. The list made many of the boats unusable and the quick sinking didn't provide much time. A lot of the passengers ended up in the freezing cold water. But then the story got weird.

One thing that was strange was the fact they all reported seeing a mysterious ship come out of the water like a whale or a dolphin. The thing was described as looking like a box with fins on top of a large tube. (And by large, it was GIGANTIC. It was rumored to be bigger than most RES Navy vessels.) It had some bright lights on top of the tower that signaled them all towards safety. Now it got weirder.

A hatch opened and some creatures came out. Some say it was less than 20, some say it was more than 30. The creatures that came out of the tower, however, were all bi-pedal and wearing uniforms that said 'H.N.' on it. Well, whatever that meant, they were clearly the ones saving them. All of these bipeds were directing the ones in the water to the thing's stern where the dip was the shallowest and therefore easiest to climb. From what witnesses say the unicorns were picked first so they could help lift others out faster. One by one ponies boarded the mysterious vessel with looks of concern. Moreover, the ponies in lifeboats were told to wait for another ship since, according to one of the bipeds, "You guys in boats can wait." After a while, the giant ship disappeared into the water. Then the merchant ship picked up the lifeboats.

No pony knows where that ship is now. Wherever it was, the hopes of hundreds rested with their appendages.


	2. Chapter 2

MLP FiM:_** The Other Kingdom…**_

_**Part 2**_

** The Northern Oceans**_**…11 pm. **_

The _HSS_ (Human States Ship) _King Joseph_ was cruising at 20 knots, 100 feet below the surface. It was a massive 560 ft. long submarine with a 42 ft. beam, recently re-named after the current king. The sub had some amazing features, such as air provided by electrolysis, the ability to go decades without refueling, and the firepower to devastate small countries. (Not that it was really necessary mind you, intimidation was usually enough) It's military designation was HSSBN-03. (Human Submersible Ship, Ballistic Missile, Nuclear-powered, 3rd in its class.) But most called it the King Joseph.

Speaking of which, the King himself was on board, laying down in an air mattress he brought with him. He was very young to be in his position. Far too young! (In fact, he was only 19!) And yet he had a bit of a moustache-enough to be there but not enough to be considered 'proper'- and a small beard; the kind that was there but only just. He was also kind of short, at around 5' 8" tall. His skin was the kind that belonged to an indoor person. He wasn't always indoors though. There was his father and former king, Michael the Third…or as most of his former subjects now called him, Michael the Awful…

Joseph (or Joe, or even Joey) sniffled whenever he thought about him. Sure, he was a bit of a political asshole…but he was STILL his father. If his father made another bad decision, Joe would tell him to get back up and fix it. When it did work, it was wonderful. Joe learned much from him; how to fill up a tire, how to use a gun properly, how to do electrical work, how to find the best…pictures…You know, guy things.

Unfortunately, even HE had to agree that his father's death was a good thing for the country. It was falling apart and his dad's 'brilliant' ideas of excess funding to abstinence-only programs that didn't work, to tax breaks for the rich, gave him an unpopular reputation with the middle and lower classes. And even the rich got tired of him spending the money on useless things, like nuclear weapons, and building mansions, and vacation homes, and yachts he'd never use. Sure, Michael would've still been King, but enough unpopular support always meant trouble.

Joe on the other hand, was far more popular in comparison. He thought that maybe even IF rich people paid more taxes proportionally, they'd still have plenty leftover, and he could care less about what people did in private. (provided he didn't have to be involved…unless, of course…) He felt opposed to having more nukes than needed for tests and demonstration purposes.

But when he had to take over as King…politics and bureaucracy…so much fun. Joe sighed. The stress of being King was getting to him. But someone had to do it, and it was in his dad's will, so...

Just as he was thinking of how to best repair the current infrastructure, there was a sudden knocking on the door.

"What's up?" Joe asked informally.

"Captain Jackson requesting permission to enter, sir," A feminine voice responded.

"Yeah, sure, whatever," Joe said back. He looked at the door and watched the captain enter the room. She greeted her new boss with a salute to which he returned.

The woman that entered was Captain Mary "Mary-Sue" Jackson, a woman who was in her late 30's. Her skin and complexion was a bit more outdoorsy than the king's own. She was the same height as Joe too.

But what specialized Jackson from most, was that she was a DAMN good captain, female or not, hence the nickname. She always fought to be top of her class, and took the time to do her work properly and efficiently. Her skills in unarmed combat were second to very few people…

"So, what's up?" Joe asked.

"Something's happened," Mary-Sue (MS) said. "We've picked up a collision on SONAR."

"Between what?" Joe inquired.

"It's the ocean liner," MS answered, "It's hit an iceberg and it's sinking fast." Joe got up and followed the captain to the control room, where the periscope was.

"How fast?" Joe queries as they both entered. Jackson picked up an intercom microphone. .

"Take the ship up to periscope level." MS ordered.

"Aye-aye, sir!" A crew member said, even though the captain was a woman. The ship climbed for a minute or two and it was low enough for the periscope to be useful. Joe went up to the scope.

"Periscope down," Joe commanded as he grabbed the handles of the scope. He turned left then right, then around and saw the ship. "Holy shit, that thing's going down!" The ship was already on a 2 degree list. He let go of the handles and pulled back.

"Captain, go get the chefs. We need hot chocolate. And any people still awake to rescue them." He started leaving when everyone was still standing around. "That's an order people!"

He left the control room, and headed towards other areas of the sub. The captain chased him and grabbed his shoulder, thus turning him around.

"What are you doing?" asked MS. Joe raised an eyebrow at the seemingly dumb question. "You know we can't fit that many. Not even one this big!"

Joe would've made a joke about that but he had far more important things to focus on. "Yeah, well it's better than doing nothing, isn't it?"

"But sir…" She pulls him within inches of her… "You know how she feels about us."

"Does it look like I give a shit?" Joe asked rhetorically. "Now, I need you to prepare a rescue, while I go sort out the kitchen." He starts to run off… "That's an order, soldier!"

"Yes, sir!" MS responds back to him, with a salute, before he heads off.

**Kitchen of HSS King Joseph…**

Joe was turning on lights, emptying dishwashers, and opening cupboards, thus making lots of noise.

He was also grabbing copious amounts of cups, glasses, and anything that can carry a liquid onto the counters. By the time the cooks showed up, he already had 10 stacks of plastic cups out.

"Sir! Is there any-" One asked before interrupted.

"Yeah, get the hot chocolate ready," Joe said quickly. "We're gonna need a shit-ton of it."

"Sir?" another one asked.

"Quick, someone tell me how much food we got left?" Joe immediately asked. The lead cook, a tall guy with dark skin came up to him.

"Sir, with the present crew and including you, that would be…approximately 25 days left."

"Good, now start those warm meals within 20. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir!" They all answered.

"Good." Joe left the kitchen with all of the cooks wondering what the commotion was.

**Near the Engine Room. **

Joe was rushing like mad through the hallways of the sub. He banged heavily on the door which hid the most classified parts of the ship; mainly it's nuclear power cores. One man, a avg. height, but skinny armed guy opened the portal.

Before he could say anything, Joe said to him. "Keep this room secure. I don't want anyone going in here who isn't necessary, is that clear?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good."

**Near the main hatch…**

At the same time, Captain Jackson had already scrambled a team of divers. They were all equipped with heated diving suits so they could stay in cold water longer.

"Alright men, this is a rescue operation so I want you men to lead the ponies to the stern, have them climb aboard and brought into the hatch once we surface. Is that clear?"

"Yes ma'am!" They all said as the captain turned to a microphone.

"Captain requesting King Joseph to the Control Room." A minute and a half later, Joe was rushing into the control room.

"Is everything all set?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good, now let's get this bitch up!" Everyone either smiled or giggled.

"Aye-Aye, sir!" A crew member said.


End file.
